Is there a particular gold toner recipe that will shift the color of Azo towards blue? I tried a regular gold toner consisting of 1% Gold Chloride and Ammonium Thiocynate, but it did nothing but slightly increase the DMax. I gave a slight blue cast on some of my enlarging paper, so I know the solution is working. Any suggestions? Thanks!

12-07-2003, 02:28 PM

Francesco

How about using selenium toner instead. Perhaps 1:50?

12-07-2003, 02:30 PM

Silverpixels5

I've tried selenium but the color goes from neutral to purplish/pink....no blue.

12-07-2003, 02:31 PM

lee

develop Azo in Dektol and you should get a blue.

lee\c

12-07-2003, 02:35 PM

ann

you might try "Blue Gold toner". I have not tried it on AZO as I don't use that paper, but it does shift to a blue cast to down right ugly blue on many papers.

THere is also a Gold Choride Blue Toner in Steve Ancell's book the darkroom cookbook you might try.

12-07-2003, 03:19 PM

Silverpixels5

The Blue Gold Toner from Anchell's cookbook was the recipe I used. I will try the dektol, as I have a bunch of it laying around to be used. Thanks!

12-07-2003, 04:32 PM

ann

oops! Forgot the formula for that toner. Did you try both are just the bluegold one? THe second has thiocarbamide and citric acid rather than thiocyanate.

12-07-2003, 04:35 PM

Silverpixels5

No just the first one. I don't have any thicarbamide or c. acid. I just tried developing it in Dektol and i have a nice blue tone. I'm going to try toning it in the blue gold toner and see if that does anything to the cast. Thanks!

12-07-2003, 04:40 PM

ann

interesting. I will have to remember that . One of these days I am going to make some prints with AZO. One of my dealers gave me a box of 5oo sheets of 4 x 5 paper.
I have used the bluegold toner after using hypo alum toner and the results were interesting. A cross between orange and red. Not as ugly as it sounds, but different. Was running some test for a project and thought , wonder what this would look like. The paper was Forte polywarmone plus. Didn't use if for the project but kept the print for an example for my students.

12-07-2003, 04:54 PM

Silverpixels5

One thing about the 4x5 paper. I have found that it is usually of the old variety of Azo...usually around 30+ yrs old. While it still should print quite nicely, I believe it has a different formula from the Azo that is produced today, as it responds differently to toners and developers. I ran a few of the 4x5 sheets through this Dektol as well, and I got a neutral to warm color on the prints, while the current Azo produced a slight blue tone. I have also found that the old Azo goes from neutral to a pinkish/chocolate color in selenium 1:3.